In a locking device of this type, a locking mechanism is provided to a seat side and a striker is provided to a vehicle body side. The locking mechanism includes a lock base having a recess that is capable of receiving the striker. Further, the locking mechanism includes a hook and a pawl. The hook is rotatably supported on the lock base. The hook forms a locked condition in which the striker is held between the hook and the recess of the lock base or an unlocked condition in which the hook is spaced from the striker. The pawl, when rotated to a position in which the pawl engages the hook, can maintain the hook in the locked condition. When the locking device is applied with vibration, a noise can be generated by metal-to-metal contacting of the hook and the striker or the pawl in the locked condition.
A door locking device described in, for example, Japanese Laid-Open Patent Publication No. 2004-278234 is known as a technique to avoid noise generation. The door locking device includes a latch mechanism provided to a door side and a striker provided to a vehicle body side. The latch mechanism includes a latch that is capable of receiving the striker and engaging the same. The latch has a resin coating that is applied to a surface thereof. The resin coating has a contact portion to which the striker contacts. The contact portion is shaped to elastically produce a reaction force. Thus, the noise caused by contacting of the latch and the striker can be reduced.
If the technique to avoid noise generation described in Japanese Laid-Open Patent Publication No. 2004-278234 is applied to the locking mechanism described above, the noise produced between the hook and the pawl cannot be prevented.
Thus, there is a need in the art to eliminate a noise produced between a hook and a pawl in a locked condition of a locking mechanism.
Further need is to increase an engagement force between an engagement surface of a hook and a pawl.
Further need is to restrict noise generation caused by, for example, metal-to-metal contacting of a hook and a striker when a locking operation is performed.